Pneumatic washing machine and drier



oa. 27, 1936. H. LAMB PNEUMATIC WASHING MACHINE AND DRIER Filed sept. 8, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct`. 27, 1936. H. LAMB PNEUMATIC WASHING MACHINE AND DRIER -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed sept. 8, 1934 INVENTOR Lamb YM ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 27, 1936 PNEUMATIC WASHING MACHINE AND Dama v Harry Lamb, Seattle, Wash., assignor of one-hal! to Clarence M. Ambrose, Seattle, Wash.

Application September 8, 1934, Serial No. 743,296 5 Claims. (Cl. 68-37) My present invention relates to the washing machine art and more particularly to .a pneumatic washing machine and drier.

Realizing the advantages of a machine in which a current of air, under considerable pressure, might be used in place of a mechanical agitator many attempts have been made to produce air operated machines. Considerable dimculty has been encountered in producing the degree of agitation necessary for thoroughly washing clothes without expending a large amount of energy to ldrive the air circulating means. Other dimculties encountered was the tendency for the clothes, particularly the large ilat work, to become iilled with air and to be carried up t-o the top of the machine and, in this way, not only ceasing to be agitated as is necessary for a thorough cleaning of the clothes but to further prevent the free circulation of the agitating air. In my present equipment I believe I have overcome these difllculties.

Instead of passing the air which is under pressure up through stationary openings in the bottom of the laundry tub, as is usual, I have provided a rotary air distributor operating on the general principles of a lawn sprinkler, for instance, so arranged that when the air is expelled irom'the distributor it vcauses the distributor to revolve on a horizontal plane at the bottom of the tub. This means that the air is at maximum volume and pressure at two points of the tub at any one instance, and the points of delivery are constantly changing so that a turbulence or agitation is accomplishedthat could not be accomplished by expenditure of the same amount of air being discharged through a plurality of fixed openings. I have further arranged that the two arms of the air distributor are of unequal length so that one discharges its air in a circle near the center ci' the tub, while the other, which is diametrically opposite it, discharges its air on a larger diameter near the outer margin of the tub. This has a tendency to create a circulation of the clothes in the tub. The short discharge arm tends to force the clothing from the center out towards theA outer edge of the tub, while the outer discharge nozzle tends to force the clothes from the periphery of the tub towards the center. Inasmuch as the two discharge openings are on opposite sides of the tub they cannot ever'counteract each other, and further in this manner a thorough agitation of the clothes is accomplished. It further prevents the packing of the clothes in any one spot and the creating of a relatively free passageway for the air up through the water,

which is so often experienced with stationary air discharge openings. I have further provided that in case of at work billowing up and being supported at the upper portion of the tub by the incoming air to the extent that it might seal the same and prevent a free flow of'air, that it is arranged that this built up pressure will cause the water from the bottom of the tub to be forced upwardly and out on top of such clothes, sinking them down in the tub and permitting the operation of the washer as intended.

A further characteristic of my present design is that the same air is forced through the tub repeatedly, which means that the Water in the tub is not being cooled oif by the introduction of cold air.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from thel following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a washer and drier made after the teachings of my invention. l

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows in fragmentary elevation, the exterior of my washer and drier and the Amanner in which they are secured together in operating relationship.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, numeral 6 designates the main tank or tub of my washer. This is tted with a lid 8 which is secured in tight engagement with the top of the y tub as by a plurality of coacting lugs and latches 9. Cover 8 is provided wih a cylindrical spacing or shield member il! which is xedly secured to thevlid and flanged outwardly at Ilfso as to closely engage the interior of tub 6. .This arrangement provides an annular 'passageway i2 extending entirely around the inner surface of tub 6. Shield member i0 is provided, at its upper extent, with a plurality of openings I4 so that air passageway I2 is freely communicating with the lnterior of tub 6 providing that air may be drawn therefrom through the exhaust tube I6, yet any4 upward surge of water within the tub will not be drawn down tube i6 into the air propelling fan i8.

Secured to shield l0, at its lower extent, is' a screen shield'l9. 'Ihe purpose of this shield -is to prevent clothes, which might be forced upwardly by pocketing air, being carried up high enough to interfere with the free circulation of air under impulse of fan i8.

Disposed at, or near, the center of tub 6 is the air inlet pipe 20, concentrically disposed about pipe 20 is a closed end tube 22 arranged with its closed end upwardly.. This tube is flxedly secured to the bottom of tub 6 as by riveting the same at l24. Support tube 22 has, disposed concentrically about it, the central ilow pipe 26. In the present showing this pipe is shown as supported from and secured to the lower screen 26, which screen in turn is supported by pipe 22 and also by the tub liner 39, it may be secured thereto but, for convenience in cleaning the tub, screen 28 should be removable with tube 26.

Revolvably disposed about tube 22"is the air distributor 3|. The exact construction of this distributor is probably best illustrated in Figure 3 wherein a short arm 32 and a long arm 34 are provided. Each of these portions terminate in an air discharge opening as 35 and 36, respectively.

These, following the general principles of rotary sprinklers, face in opposite directions and assist each other in causing the distributor to be revolved as air isprojected under pressure from openings 35 and 36. Air is supplied to the distributor by means of a pluralityof openings 38 in pipe 22. 'I'he course of the air under pressure from fan |8 is up. tube 20 then down around tube 2li, as inclosed by tube 22, and outopenings 33 into distributor 3|. The principal reason for this 4construction being to provide that water cannot back up through distributor 3| when the air blast is not turned on and thus find its way back into ian |8. Shield 30, used normally only in tubs of the larger sizes, is disposed concentric with tub 6 and provides an annular passageway from the bottom of the tub upwardly to the point where it discharges out over onto screen I3 for a purpose which will be more fully stated in the method of operation.

Feeling that no washing machine is complete without either a wringer or a drier, I have provided in combination with my washer a spinner type drier, the same being probably best illus-l trated in Figures 1 and 2. It consists essentially of a closed tub 40 which has centrally disposed therein the vertical shaft 4|. On this shaft is suitably journaled as by bearings 42 and 43, the spinner proper 44. In the present illustration I have shown bearing 42 and 4.3 as being supported from a central tube 46 which is flxedly secured to tub 40. Spinner 44 is provided with a solid bottom and a centrally disposed central tube,

which also is solid, as 48. This serves to vadequately house bearings 42 and 43 and protect them from water particularly. The periphery of the spinner is formed by the perforated cylinder 50. Fixedly secured to cylinder 50 are a plurality of impeller blades 52 which are adapted to receive a blast of air from nozzle 54 and thus drive the spinner with a rapid, rotary movement. 'Ihis action causes the drier to expel the moisture from the clothes after the well known principles of centrifugal driers. To coniine the drying airl within spinner chamber 40 I provide a cover 56 which is adapted to be firmly secured in close engagement with the upper surface oi tub 40, and I further provide a cone shaped deilector 51 which tends to definitely confine the air, even though cover 56 be removed for a momentary inspection. An exhaust outlet for the spent air is provided at 58. As a matter oi' convenience land further to assist the drier in rapidly dis-.

sipating any water thrown out of the clothes. I

and passageway 2 and then fing chamber proper water which naif ruis .the tube, is sumcientj tt' provide an annular channel shaped, removable screen container 60 composed of the lower screen 6| which is spaced well away from bottom 44, a central cylindrical screen 63 spaced well away from the central protecting tube 43 and the outer screen 64 which is spaced a like amount away from the perforated plate 5l). It is to be understood that the three screens are actually formed as a unit so that-it may be lifted out and carry with it the clothes that have beendried and thus avoid unnecessary handling of the garments.

Method of operation In operating my device as a washer the tub is iilled approximately half full of water, together with the necessary soap or other cleaning agent. The clothes to be washed are placed inside of the shield30 and the cover 8 replaced. This holds the clothes in the space between screens i8 and 28. Fan I8 is then started, this may be driven by any suitable means, as an electric motor M. Air is then drawn downwardly through tube i6 out the pump discharge 66 past valve 61, which should then be in position shownin Figure 1, up tube 20, down tween tubes 20 and 22, out opening 38 and then out through the discharge openings 35 and 36, formed within distributor 3| The air thus forced into the machine is distributed at two concentrated points and, due to the revolving of distributor 3|, these two discharge points are continuously moving around the tub, under screen 28, so there is no interference from'the clothes. 'I'he air, so introduced, should be under considerable pressure so that a rather violent bubbling action is obtained. It will be apparent it is believed that the shorter arm 32 will create, in eect, a discharge circle immediately adjacent to tube 26 whereas the outwardly disposed discharge opening 36 will create a circle for the discharge of air out adjacent to the periphery of the tub. 'I'his has a tendency to throw the clothes from the outside of the tub towards the inside and the shorter arm 32 tends to throw the clothes from the inside or central portion of the'` tub out tothe annular passageway be-y wards the periphery. As the discharge openings which soon effects their cleansing.

One diiiiculty encountered in the past, whic my present device overcomes, is the fact that the air blowing through the clothes, particularly fiat work and the like, tends to billow it upwardly and thus interfere with the normal flow of `the air upwardly through screen down tube I6. To overcome this possible contingency I have provided the annular passageway 10 which Vextends clear around .the tub and the central passageway iormed by tube 26. Ifthe clothes do lodge against screen I9 to the extent that they interfere with theV free rlow of air therethrough, it immediately builds up a pressure within the wash- '|,2 which, acting upon the force it up the central tube 26 and up ltheflieripheral passageway 7i! so that the watergfilows up over the top of screen I9. This flow 'of'water quickly sinks any clothes that may be pressed up against screen I9 causing them to recirculate through the washer and provides for the continued effective Washing of the clothes.

It will be particularly noted, itis believed, that fan I8 circulates the original air in the washer I3, out openings |4 aol-sacar at the time it is closed. As a result this air soon becomes warm and does not have any further tendency to c'ool o the water in the tub, as might be experienced if the air were drawn from the outside and expelled. y

As soon as the clothes are washed they are removed from chamber 12 and placed in screen 60. Valve 61 is then revolved 90 degrees so that the air from discharge pipe 66 will be passed out through conduit 14 to jet 54. The impingingof the air or propeller blades 52 soon create a high rotative speed in spinner 44. This acting under the principles known to centrifugal driers quickly expel sulilcient of the water so that the clothes may be ready for further processing, ironing and the like.

I have further provided that shaft 4I, which revolves within tube 46, and is flxedly secured to the runner and revolves with it, is the driving shaft for a water pump of the impeller type 16. This pump is adapted to draw Water from the spinner tub 40 after the showing of the valve setting in Figure 1. If it is desired to draw water from tub 6 valve 18 must be revolved 90 degrees so as to provide 'a clear passageway between washer discharge pipe 19 and the pump suction line 80. A discharge hose 8| is provided. This may be led to any convenient discharge or it may be used to put the water back into tub 6 if that is desired.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pneumatic washing machine, the combination with a water receptacle having inner and outer walls, a. pair of spaced, horizontal screens mounted on the inner wall, and a rotary, motivefiuid-operated air distributing nozzle mounted below the lower screen, of an inner wall-having perforations at its top portion, locatedl above the upper screen and forming an air chamber, and means for withdrawing air from said chamber and introducing the air to said distributor nozzle.

2. In a pneumatic washing machine, the combinationwith an enclosed tub having inner and outer casings, upper and lower screens mounted on said inner casing, of a rotary, motive-fluidoperated air distributor mounted below said lower screen, an inner annular perforated wall above said'upper screen spaced from the outer casing and forming an air chamber, a fan and suctionpipe for withdrawing air from said chamber and means for conveying the air under pressure from the fan to said distributor,

3. In a washing machine, the combination with a closed tub having a pair of spaced screens forming upper and lower uid chambers, a pneumatic distributor, a fan, and fluid conduit connections between said distributor, fan, and upper chamber, whereby air is withdrawn from said upper chamber and ejected from said distributor, of a central tube connecting said chambers, an air pipe located within the tube and having an open upper end, and a closed return pipe also within the tube and surrounding the first mentioned air pipe,

for preventing water from flowing into the fan.

4. In a washing machine, the combination with a closed tub formed with inner and outer casings and having a pair of spaced screens mounted on said inner casing forming upper and lower iiuid chambers, a pneumatic distributor, a fan, and uid conduit connections between said upper chamber, fan, and distributor, whereby air lis, withdrawn from said upper chamber and ejected under pressure from said distributor, of a central tube connecting said chambers, an air pipe located within the tube and having an upper open end, and a return air tube closed at the top and opening into the air distributor also within the tube and surrounding said air pipe, for preventing water from flowing into said fan.

5. In a washing machine, the combination with a closed tub comprising inner and outer casings, the lower open end of said inner casing terminating above the bottom of the outer casing, a pair of spaced screens mounted on said inner casing forming upper and lower iluid chambers, a pneumatic distributor, and means for withdrawing air from said upper'chamber and ejecting the air from said distributor, of a central tube connecting said chambers, anl air pipe located within the tube and having an open upper end, and a return air tube closed at the top and opening into the air distributor also within the central tube and surrounding said air pipe.

HARRY LAMB. 

